The European Parliament recently adopted its position on draft EU rules aimed at encouraging the deployment of charging infrastructure for cars, trucks, trains and planes. The new rules are part of the Fit for 55 in 2030 package, the EU’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
Parliament has now set minimum mandatory national targets for the deployment of “alternative fuels infrastructure.” Member states will have to present their plans on how to meet the targets by 2024.
According to the adopted text, by 2026 there should be at least one charging station for cars every 60 km along main EU roads. The same requirement would apply for trucks and buses, but only on core TEN-T networks, and it would naturally specify more powerful chargers. There will be some exemptions for remote regions, islands and roads with little traffic.
Parliament also suggests setting up hydrogen refueling stations every 100 km along main EU roads (the European Commission has proposed every 150 km) by 2028 (the Commission has proposed 2031).
Parliament’s position is that charging stations should be accessible to all vehicle brands, and “payment should be easy.” They should display the price per kWh, which should be “affordable and comparable.” Parliament also wants an EU access point to be set up by 2027 to provide information on the availability, waiting times and prices at stations across Europe.
“At the moment we have 377 000 charging stations in the EU, but this is half the amount that should have been achieved had EU countries lived up to their promises,” said Ismail Ertug, the Parliament’s Rapporteur on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure. “We need to tackle this decarbonization bottleneck and quickly roll out the alternative fuels infrastructure to save the Green Deal.”
Source: European Parliament
